Billfolds



March 13, 1956 Filed June 12, 1952 w. A. BASS 2,737,991

BILLFOLDS 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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BILLFOLDS March 13, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12, 1952 INVENTOR I W,a1-Z'erA.B ass,

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BILLFOLDS Filed June 12, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTOR Walter A .l'iass,

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March 13, 1956 w. A. BASS 2,737,991

BILLFOLDS Filed June 12, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ark-(FF INVENTOR.

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United States PatentYO BILLFOLDS Walter A. Bass, Brundidge, Ala.

Application June 12, 1952, Serial No. 293,078

' 3 Claims. (01. 150-3 My invention relates to stitchless pocket secretaries and has for its principalobjects to construct a simple, inexpensive and long-wearing pocket secretary which can be prepared from thin flexible material with onestroke of a die. The remaining work, such as folding andfastening together, can quickly be done by hand much quicker and cheaper than a pocket secretary having similar compartments which mu'stbe fitted together and sewed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pocket secretary of the stitchless type which provides more compartments for currency, papers, and smallnote pads, than heretofore have been available in stitchless pocket secretaries.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank, flexible sheet cut out to form a pocket secretary according to one form of this invention;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are views showing successive stages in which the pocket secretary walls are positioned in operation of folding the blank down in Figure 1 into the completed pocket secretary shown in the perspective view, Figure 4; i

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 3; V.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 3; and

Figure 8 is a plan view of a modification of a blank, flexible sheet cut out to form a pocket secretary according to this invention.

Referring now to the drawings and first to Figure 1, the numeral 10 designates generally a substantially rectangular sheet which may be formed of leather or other suitable material.

The sheet 10 is divided into six substantially rectangular walls 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 by transversely disposed, parallel fold lines 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21.

Wall 12 contains pairs of transverse slots 22 and 23, parallel and adjacent to ends 24 and 25, respectively, of wall 12. A longitudinal slot 26 intermediate ends 24 and 25 is contained in wall 12, adjacent to wall 11 along fold line 17.

Flaps 27 and 28, secured to ends 29 and 30, respectively, of wall 13, have locking tongues 31 and 32 for engagement in slots 22 and 23, respectively, of wall 12.

Flap 33, secured to end 34 of wall 14, has locking tongue 35 for engagement in transverse slots 36, parallel to end 37 of wall 15. Intermediate ends 37 and 38 of wall 15 is slot. 39 to be used to hold a small note pad, as will be explained below. The corner of wall 15 is cut away diagonally between fold line 21 and end 38, as shown. by lines 40..

The corner of wall. 16-, bounded by fold line 21 and end 41, is cut away as shown by lines 42, so as to extend above the cut-away corner of wall 15 when wall 16 is superposed on wall 15 by folding wall 16 along fold line 21. The relation of these cut-away corners when in superposed position is best shown in Figure 3. It will be noted that wall 16 is joined to wall 15 along fold line 21 for about one-third of the length of said wall pro gressing from 43 toward. cut-away corner 42.

Considering now the assembly of this pocket secretary, Figure 2 shows walls 11 and 16 folded about fold lines 17 and 21, respectively, so as to be superposed on walls 12 and 15, respectively. Walls 12 and 15 are then folded about fold lines 18 and 20, respectively, so as to superpose walls 11 and 12 on 13 and 15 and 16 on 14, as shown in Figure 3. Locking tongues 31, 32 and 35 of flaps 27, 28 and 33, respectively, are next engaged in slots 22, 23 and 36, respectively, as shown in Figure 3. The pocket secretary is now. assembled, and a small note pad A may be secured to the face of wall 15 by in-- setting the back cover of such pad into slot 39, as shown in Figure 6. The assembled pocket secretary may now be bent along medial fold line 19, so as to be insertible in a pocket or other container.

As now assembled, the pocket secretary has, as shown in Figure 5, compartment 44 between walls 11 and 13; compartment 45 between walls 11 and 12; and also, as shown in Figure 6, compartment 46 between Walls 14 and 16, and compartment 47 between walls 15 and 16. The entrance to compartment 44 is along fold line 17; the entrance to compartment 45 is through slot 26; the entrance to compartment 46 is along line 42; and the entrance to compartment 47 is along line 40.

A modification of my invention is shown in Figure 8, in which a strap 48 is shown secured to and extending from end 49 of wall 14. Flap 50 is also secured to and extending from 49, and has locking tongue 51 for engagement in transverse slots 52 of wall 15. A longitudinal slot 53 intermediate ends 37 and 38 is contained in wall 15, adjacent to wall 16 along fold line 21. The assembly of this modified form of my invention is substantially the same as the assembly described above, and

as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4.

Thus, I have provided an improved pocket secretary of the stitchless variety which will not separate due to the rotting or wearing of the threads, as is inherent in stitched billfolds, and which thereby has important advantages from both the point of view of the manufacturer as well as the user.

The description of the foregoing invention is for the purpose of illustration only, and is not limiting to the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims wherein I claim:

1. A stitchless pocket secretary comprising: a single substantially rectangular piece of thin flexible material foldable on transversely disposed parallel fold lines to form six consecutive walls, substantially rectangular and approximately of the same size and shape; the first wall being imperforate and foldable inwardly so as to lie between the second and third walls; the second wall being joined at each end of the common fold line to the first wall and having a pair of transverse, parallel slots adjacent each end thereof; the third wall being imperforate Patented Mar. 13, 1956 the pairs of parallel slots of said second wall; the fourth wall being imperforate and having one longitudinal edge connected throughout its length to the third wall at the common fold line, and a flap having a locking tongue and extending from one end thereof, said third and fourth walls serving as the outer walls of the completed secretary when folded along their common fold line; the fifth wall having a transverse slot intermediate the ends, said fifth wall also having a pair of transverse slits adja cent one end and positioned to receive said locking tongue of the flap on said fourth wall, said fifth wall further having one corner on the end thereof opposite said pair of slits cut away on inclined lines toward the sixth wall, said fifth wall being connected throughout its length to the fourth wall along one longitudinal edge at the common fold line; said sixth wall being impcrforate and joined to the fifth wall at one end of the portion of the common fold line adjacent said pair of slits in the fifth Wall, said sixth wall having one corner on the opposite end thereof cut away on inclined lines toward the fifth 4 tongue and slot connection means therebetween for securing each intermediate Wall in folded relation to said outer wall with its associated inner wall disposed in folded relation therebetween, the longitudinal edge of each inner wall attached to an intermediate wall being free from connection with said outer Wall to provide an opening for a compartment formed between each inner wall and said outer wall, and said secretary having a slot formed therein adjacent said longitudinal edge of each of said inner walls to provide an opening for a compartment formed between each inner Wall and its adjacent intermediate wall.

3. A stitchless pocket secretary as defined in claim 2 wherein one of said intermediate walls has one corner cut away on inclined lines toward the adjacent inner wail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 814,205 Hawes Mar. 6, 1906 842,037 VVallerstedt Jan. 22, 1907 1,305,569 Smith June 3, 1919 1,695,350 Shively Dec. 8, 1928 1,786,896 Conger Dec. 30, 1930 1,870,893 Buxton Aug. 9, 1932 2,384,199 Sherwood Sept. 4, 1945 2,386,082 Attridge Oct. 2, 1945 2,425,461 Feld Aug. 12, 1947 2,686,544 Walker Aug. 17, 1954 

